Wednesday, December 1, 2010

After four rounds of intense virtual racing against some of the nation’s best-known motorsport names, celebrities and media, BMX champion Sarah Walker has been crowned Queen of theNew Zealand Gran Turismo 5 Charity Cup.

Walker was up against with 15 other rival drivers last night at Auckland’s Giltrap Prestige showrooms, which were turned into a virtual motorsport arena for the launch of the world’s most realistic driving simulation game, Gran Turismo 5.

After rigorous competition and a few surprise knock-outs, Walker came out on top in the final against TV3 sports presenter Shaun Summerfield. She took home not only bragging rights but also a $2,000 cheque for her chosen charity, the CatWalk Spinal Cord Injury Trust which is dedicated to finding a cure for spinal injuries.

Along with the donation, Walker also won a PlayStation 3 GT5 entertainment pack for the CatWalk Trust.

‘It was a really tough competition against some pretty fierce rivals – some of the best in the business. I wanted to win badly, and knew it would be a big ask, but getting together with everyone and participating for charity is always a fun time. I’m really happy that this win will provide the CatWalk Trust with a donation just before Christmas,’ says Walker.

‘Gran Turismo 5 is all about head to head racing and we certainly had some fierce competition. The team at PlayStation share Sarah’s excitement in winning the GT5 Charity Cup and we are glad we can support the CatWalk Trust with her donation, ’ says David Hine, Director of Sales and Marketing, Sony Computer Entertainment New Zealand.

Gran Turismo 5 offers the drive of a lifetime with over 1000 cars to choose from and some of the world’s most famous tracks to race on. Race off on the Top Gear Track, WRC or NASCAR against friends or foes online and experience astounding realism, pulse-raising physics, high-speed thrills and a full tank of international motoring glamour!